Senator Bernie Sanders has unveiled a bold and controversial proposal aimed at addressing one of the most significant challenges facing the modern economy: the sweeping transformation of the labor market driven by artificial intelligence and widespread automation. His suggested remedy—a so-called ‘robot tax’—is designed to mitigate the potentially devastating social and economic consequences that may result as machines and algorithms increasingly perform tasks once reserved for human employees.
Sanders, who represents Vermont in the U.S. Senate and currently serves as the ranking member of the influential Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, introduced a comprehensive report this week analyzing the profound disruptions that advancing AI technologies could bring to the American workforce in the near future. The document lays out an alarming scenario: over the course of the next decade, automation and artificial intelligence could displace as many as 100 million jobs across the United States, fundamentally altering not only workers’ livelihoods but also the structure of the national economy itself.
In drawing comparisons to earlier eras of technological transformation, the report observes that humanity’s previous revolutions in production—the agricultural and industrial revolutions—unfolded gradually over the span of centuries. By contrast, the coming revolution in artificial labor could reshape entire industries within less than ten years, a pace of change so rapid that existing social and economic systems may struggle to adapt.
To confront this challenge, Sanders’s report advances a variety of policy measures intended to cushion the impact on working people. Chief among them is the introduction of a ‘robot tax’ levied on large corporations that deploy automation to replace human labor. The underlying principle is straightforward yet far-reaching: by taxing profits derived from automated work, the government could generate revenue to support displaced employees, retraining programs, or other initiatives that ensure technological progress does not come at the direct expense of workers’ well-being.
Although Sanders’s version of the idea has gained new attention amid rising concern over AI’s impact, the concept itself is not entirely new. In fact, prominent figures across the political and technological spectrum have expressed support for a similar approach. Billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates stated publicly in 2017 that automated labor should be subject to taxation in much the same manner as human labor, arguing that this would preserve crucial funding streams for public services and social safety net programs that rely heavily on income taxes.
Sanders echoed that same sentiment in his 2023 book, *It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism*, where he reiterated his belief that policy frameworks must evolve alongside technological innovation. He emphasized that, as robots and AI systems inevitably replace human workers in numerous industries, governments have a responsibility to reform tax laws and regulatory policies to prevent greed-driven exploitation. Without such safeguards, Sanders warned, corporations could use automation as an excuse to pursue relentless cost-cutting and profit maximization at the expense of fair wages, worker protections, and community stability.
Beyond the proposed robot tax, the senator’s report recommends several additional strategies for navigating the transition toward an AI-driven economy. These include advocating for a nationwide shift toward a 32-hour workweek without a reduction in pay, promoting greater worker representation on corporate boards to democratize decision-making, and passing robust pro-union legislation designed to strengthen collective bargaining rights. Together, these proposals form a broader vision for balancing technological efficiency with social equity.
As part of the report’s research, Sanders’s team even enlisted the help of OpenAI’s ChatGPT to assess which occupations face the highest risk of automation over the next ten years. The language model’s analysis suggested that nearly nine out of ten fast food and counter employees could potentially lose their jobs to machines, followed by more than sixty percent of retail salespeople and over half of software developers. Many other professions—spanning both manual and highly skilled work—were also identified as vulnerable.
The report acknowledges that this analysis, while insightful, comes with significant limitations inherent to AI models. Nevertheless, it serves as an illustrative glimpse into one possible future—one in which corporations, motivated by cost efficiency and competition, aggressively pursue artificial labor solutions. Sanders’s overarching message is clear: if society does not intervene thoughtfully and proactively, the accelerating pace of technological innovation could exacerbate inequality and erode the foundations of fair, dignified work. A robot tax, in his view, may be one crucial step toward ensuring that progress benefits the many rather than the few.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/bernie-sanders-robot-tax-ai-worker-report-2025-10
